Around The ‘Sphere

Links to various topics and posts. Links are NOT selected on the basis of any political ideolgy and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Moderate Voice.

IS THE AYN RAND INSTITUTE WAY OUT THERE, LIKE ON MARS? Scott Shields thinks they are (and so by the way does The Moderate Voice) due to their stance on aid to tsunami victims. (We read the same piece and at first thought it HAD to be a satire out of The Onion, but we were wrong).

DID THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION BUNGLE IT ON THE TSUNAMI AID ISSUE by first announcing $15 million and (coincidentally or not) later increasing the pledge to $350 million? Oxblog’s Josh Chafetz has some (right on the button TMV says) thoughts.

52 CLASSIC KIDDIE RECORDS WILL BE RELEASED ON CDS…one a week. These are going to include Bozo the Clown and Bugs Bunny. When I was a kid I had the Bozo record. As a kid I watched Bozo on television  on WGN’s Bozo show (just like as an adult I watched Bozos on television in the Presidential debates). These kiddie records were heavily influenced by the Golden Age of Radio (before my time) and cartoons (not before my time).

MEANWHILE, IN IRAQ A FORMER DICATOR HUDDLES WITH HIS LAWYERS, brags about his role in creating the insurgency and complains because American’s won’t let him shave his beard.

SPECULATION CONTINUES OVER THE NEXT SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: Some think they know who Bush WILL choose…which may not be the same, they feel, as who he SHOULD choose…

DR. DOBSON’S POLITICAL APHRODISIAC FOR THE GOP: Rick Heller doesn’t feel it’s healthy for anyone (especially moderates).

IN MODERN DAY AMERICA BEING REVILED MEAN’S YOU’VE ARRIVED so blogger La Shawn Barber should feel pleased by the news she shares that someone not only has compared her to Ann Coulter (who The Moderate Voice modestly maintains is the mirror image of Michael Moore, except one needs a shave and one has a big Adam’s Apple…you decide which…) and an actual anti-La Shawn blog has been set up. (The Moderate Voice hasn’t experienced that yet, but we get reviled for our posts in our comments and in our emails — so we know we’re almost there. We dutifully try to follow reader’s suggestions but so far we can’t shove our computer up there.)

A RESERVIST IS TOLD MONEY HE RAISED FOR BODY ARMOUR IS NOT NEEDED (THE MONEY WAS REFUSED): Sure…The Talking Dog has details.

THERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS FROM IRAQ and Arthur Chrenkoff has it.

THE DEAD POOL: James Joyner offers his predictions on who will be leaving us for a long trip upstairs/below (circle one) in 2005. (You can write your predictions in our comments. And please leave our name OUT.)

AND WHILE YOU’RE PREDICTING, WHAT ABOUT 2005 YEARLY PREDICTIONS? A comprehensive list of year predictions is available on The Glittering Eye. (We will try to offer our own on Tuesday).

IS HOOTERS REPUBLICAN? That sounds grammatically incorrect, but it isn’t. Hooters is two of the most interesting…I mean, one of the most interesting…restaurants….around (quite around), always keeping abreast of what’s most appealing in the dining experience. But now there’s a question raised about it. Libertarian Girl has it (and her answer).

THE WORST NEW YEAR’S EVE EVER is recalled by Michele Catalano.

CAN WHAT VOLTAIRE WROTE SOME 300 YEARS AGO COULD BE APPLIED TO THE TSUNAMI?  Decide for yourself here.

"CODA" is another truly original, heartfelt piece by Jack Grant on his weblog, Random Fate (The Moderate Voice considers it a jewel on the Internet) — a site that follows his heart and avoids "blogspeak." This must be read in its entirety to appreciate it, but here’s his conclusion:

September 11, 2001, was felt all over America, with many knowing people in the areas affected by the attacks, learning the fear that goes with love when the loved ones cannot be reached. Now we have a tragedy 40 times larger, but with no Earthly agency that can be held responsible, no one to hate, only the anguish of lives ended before their time for no apparent reason, with no deeper meaning, nothing gained from such a terrible sacrifice, and the abyss yawns darkly at our feet returning not even an echo, much less any answers, to the aguished cries of "Why?" ripped from those who had those they love torn away.

Yet of these, there is still hope. Meaning may at last be found, unwilling and unknowing sacrifice may not ultimately be in vain, and the emptiness of the abyss rejected. In the closing minutes of this year when midnight comes, hold your loved ones close, and remember all those who can no longer perform this simple, human act, and remember also we all have loved ones that we eventually lose. In the end, the tragedy of losing the ones we love is the single thing we all have in common, and in that shared grief can be found understanding. Perhaps in the terrible coda this New Years presents we can all learn of our common humanity, our common pain, and what is truly, ultimately important.